Massachusetts officials respond to business after explosion shoots equipment through roof, worker unaccounted for

Massachusetts officials have issued an update concerning an explosion at a business that shot equipment through the roof and onto a parking lot.

According to Acting Chief Stephen Bradbury III reports that the Newburyport Fire Department and its mutual aid partners remain on scene of a hazardous materials incident at an industrial park.

Upon arrival crews saw heavy fire and smoke coming from the building and equipment that had blown through the roof in an adjacent parking lot.

The building suffered significant structural damage, currently preventing firefighters and technical rescue crews from entering the building to conduct an extensive search.

Five workers were in the building at the time of the explosion. Four were taken to a local hospital, where they were treated and released.

A fifth worker remains unaccounted for.

Mutual aid was provided by State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey, East Kingston, N.H. Fire Chief Ed Warren, Amesbury Fire Chief Jim Nolan and Deputy Chief David Mather, Northeast Technical Rescue Team, North Reading Fire, Department of Fire Services Technical Rescue, Hazardous Material, and Incident Rehab Units, North Andover Fire Chief John Weir, Cataldo Ambulance, and the Ipswich, Salisbury, Newbury, Seabrook, West Newbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Rowley, Hampton, N.H., and North Hampton, N.H. Fire Departments.

Station coverage is being provided by the Danvers, Lawrence, and Topsfield Fire Departments.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is on scene at this time.

Motor vehicles and residents are asked to avoid the area. The surrounding businesses on Opportunity Way remain open.

About 12:45 a.m. on Thursday, 911 operators received a report of an explosion at 9 Opportunity Way. Upon arrival, fire crews saw that an industrial-sized vat from inside the building had moved about 30 feet because of the explosion, and it was now sitting in an adjacent parking lot.